In response to the continuous and growing popularity of the sport of basketball, practitioners in the art have endeavored to provide a variety of accessories and amusement devices to further enhance game play. These accessories have included items such as scorekeeping devices, score indicating devices and apparatus used generally as game monitoring units which often include various game rule variations or the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,977 issued to Mele et al sets forth a MULTIFUNCTIONAL BASKETBALL GAME MONITORING UNIT in which a support housing is positioned for attachment on or near the rear portion of a typical basketball backboard. The scoring unit is capable of sensing the spot location from which a shot is taken and adjusting the resulting score for successful shots based upon the time the shot remains airborne, the shooting location, and other selected criteria.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,603 issued to Mele et al sets forth a MULTIFUNCTIONAL BASKETBALL GAME MONITORING UNITS in which scoring accommodates the number of foul shots and shot positions and includes a processing unit for allowing a great variety of differing output statistics to a visual display included within the monitoring unit. A printer is coupled to the monitoring unit and provides a printed output of the player's performance statistics.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,775 issued to Klamer et al sets forth an OBJECT SENSOR FOR DETECTING CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS COLOR FOR GAMES in which a basketball goal and backboard are provided with score indicating displays together with a photosensitive score sensing unit. The photosensing unit is capable of distinguishing differing characteristics between two game balls such as color to separately tabulate the individual scores of each player. A timing device is provided to establish a time interval within which scores may be accepted.
U.S Pat. No. 4,904,981 issued to Mele et al sets forth a MULTIFUNCTIONAL BASKETBALL GAME MONITORING UNIT which allows visual display and printout of total baskets made, score and percentage of total baskets made together with free through and goal shooting tabulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,920 issued to Best sets forth a SCORE SENSITIVE BASKETBALL HOOP for detecting the passage of a basketball through the basketball hoop. The sensor comprises a transmitting light and photoelectric cell receiver which produces a continuous light beam sensed by the photoelectric cell. The passage of the basketball through the hoop breaks the light beam and signals a successful score which in turn produces an audible or visual response.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,292 issued to Cohen et al sets forth an AUTOMATIC BASKETBALL GAME HAVING SCORING INDICATOR AND TIME LIMITATION in which a coin operated game includes a shooting station and remotely positioned basketball hoop. A timer releases a plurality of basketballs to the player and initiates a timing interval. The game further includes a score tabulation system which counts the number of successful shots during the predetermined time interval of the timer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,954 issued to Genuit sets forth an ELECTRONIC SCOREKEEPER FOR TABLE TENNIS in which a ping pong table and net are provided with a score indicating apparatus and a pair of score tabulating buttons which are actuated by a successfully scoring player to increment the score.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have enhanced the enjoyment and amusement value of various basketball games or other activities, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, exciting and amusing accessories for basketball games.